突破閱讀理解題中的詞義猜測題

劉少甫

湖北

正確理解文章中單詞或短語的含義是理解文章的第一步，也是理解文章的基礎(chǔ)，不懂單詞含義根本就談不上理解文章。英語單詞的含義并非完全等同于詞典中所標注的漢語意思，其含義隨不同語境會有所不同。能根據(jù)上下文正確理解靈活變化的詞義，才算是真正初步具備了一定的閱讀理解能力。此外，閱讀文章時，常常會遇到一些過去未見過的詞，但許多這類生詞的詞義可以通過上下文推斷出來。這種不使用詞典而是通過閱讀上下文來推斷生詞含義的能力，是一個合格的讀者必須具備的能力，因此也是閱讀測試中經(jīng)常檢測的一種能力。2016年《考試說明》對閱讀理解的六項要求中的“根據(jù)上下文猜測生詞詞義”改為“根據(jù)上下文推斷單詞和短語的含義”，由此可見，高考英語試題將加大對考生詞義猜測能力的考查。

一、考題特點

詞義猜測題包括猜測生詞、短語、句子的意義，推斷熟詞生義和判斷畫線部分指代內(nèi)容。

二、命題形式

猜測詞語意義試題的題干中常含有mean， refer to， be closet in meaning to， could best be replaced by或can take the place of... 如：

1.What does the （underlined） word “...” in the ... paragraph refer to？（2015年全國卷I，C篇）（2016年四川卷，C篇）

2. The underlined word “...” in the third letter refers to_______. （2015年湖南卷，A篇）（ 2016年全國卷III，B篇）

3. Which of the following can best replace the phrase “...” in paragraph...？ （2015年全國卷II，A篇）

4. What does the underlined expression/word “...” in paragraph ... （ probably ） mean？ （2015年安徽卷，D篇）（2015年四川卷，BD篇）（2015年重慶卷，D篇）（2016年天津卷，C篇）（ 2016年全國卷I，C篇） （ 2016年全國卷III，C篇）

5. The underlined word “... ” in paragraph ... （ probably ） means_______.（2015年北京卷，C篇）（2015年湖南卷，B篇）（2015年陜西卷，D篇）（2015年四川卷，E篇）（2016年北京卷，D篇）

6. Which of the following is closet in meaning to _______.（2015年浙江卷，D篇）

7. Which of the following best explains the underlined part in the last paragraph？（2015年福建，D篇）

8. The （underlined） word “...” （paragraph） is closet in meaning to_______. （2015年湖北卷，B篇）（2015年廣東卷，D篇）

三、解題方法

1. 通過上下文線索猜測詞義。

一個單詞在句中并不是一個孤立的成分，它和同一句中的其他單詞有著密切的關(guān)系；一篇文章中的任何一個句子在內(nèi)容上也不是絕對孤立的，都與句子所在的段落及整篇文章有關(guān)系，這兩個關(guān)系稱為上下文線索。利用上下文提供的情景和線索，進行符合邏輯的綜合分析，并依此來推測詞義，是一種重要的解題方法。

【考例1】Instead of promoting the idea of college as a passage from the shelter of the family to autonomy and adult responsibility， universities have given in to the idea that they should provide the same environment as that of the home. （2016年北京卷，D篇）

解析：根據(jù)下文修飾語“from the shelter of the family to autonomy and adult responsibility（從受到家庭的庇護到獨立自主承擔(dān)起成年人的責(zé)任）”可知，上大學(xué)是可以完成人生蛻變的，因此passage在這里的意思是change。

【考例2】 I am peter Hodes， a volunteer stem cell courier. Since March 2012， Ive done 89 trips —of those ， 51 have been abroad. I have 42 hours to carry stem cells（干細胞）in my little box because Ive got two ice packs and thats how long they last， in all， from the time the stem cells are harvested from a donor（捐獻者） to the time they can be implanted in the patient， weve got 72 hours at most. So I am always conscious of time.（ 2016年全國卷I，C篇）

解析：根據(jù)下文89 trips及carry stem cells可猜測作者是運送干細胞的人，而且下文又提到運到后干細胞被移植到病人身上，所以作者不可能是干細胞的收集者（collector）， 因此，courier的意思是運送者（delivery man）。

【考例3】What Theresa Loe is doing proves that a large farm isnt a prerequisite for a modern grow-your-own lifestyle. On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles ， Loe and her family grow， can （裝罐） and preserve much of the food they consume.（ 2015年湖北卷，B篇）

解析：根據(jù)下文的“On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles ， Loe and her family grow， can （裝罐） and preserve much of the food they consume.”可以知道，大農(nóng)場并非是必要的東西，故prerequisite意為requirement。

【考例4】And it is not just robins that are being kept awake by artificial light. Blackbirds and seagulls are also being more nocturnal. （2015年四川卷，D篇）

解析：根據(jù)上句的強調(diào)句可知，受到人造光干擾，夜晚不睡覺的不僅是robins ， 再根據(jù)下文中的also可以猜測出nocturnal是指Blackbirds and seagulls在夜晚也不睡覺，也很活躍，即active at night。

【考例5】Then they would have dragged them along paths. To make the work easier， workers may have lubricated the paths either with wet clay or with the fat from cattle. （2015年四川卷，E篇）

解析：根據(jù)上文的“drag them along paths（沿路拖著它們）”和目的狀語“To make the work easier（為了使拖著他們這項工作更容易）”及下文的“either with wet clay or with the fat from cattle（要么用濕草要么用牛油）”可以猜出，畫線詞的意思是使光滑（make the roads slippery）。

2. 通過定義或重述猜測詞義。

有時在一篇文章中，作者估計到某一個詞一般讀者不熟悉。就常采取直接定義法或用另一種方式進行解釋的方法，這種解釋可能是一種重述，即對前面的一句話作重新補充說明，這種重新說明往往暗示了對前面句子中的某個生詞的解釋。下定義常見的方式有使用破折號、冒號、分號、引號、括號對生詞內(nèi)容加以解釋或使用mean， be， deal with， be called， refer to等標志詞。

【考例1】The link between what the men had done as boys and how they turned out as adults was surprisingly sharp. Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people， five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed.（ 2016年天津卷，C篇）

解析：畫線詞后面的句子“Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people， five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed.”是對畫線詞的解釋，所以sharp的詞義是clear and definite。

【考例2】Other forms of parental involvement ， including volunteering at school and observing a childs class ， also fail to help ， according to the most recent study on the topic.（2015年陜西卷，D篇）

解析：根據(jù)畫線詞后面的補充說明“including volunteering at school and observing a childs class”可猜測出畫線詞詞義為“parents participating in childrens education（家長對孩子教育的參與）”。

【考例3】 Do you know what a “territory” is？ A territory is an area that an animal， usually the male， claims as its own.

解析：根據(jù)畫線詞后面的定義可知territory指的是“動物的地盤”。

3.通過同位關(guān)系猜測詞義。

構(gòu)成同位關(guān)系的兩部分之間通常用連接詞連接，有時也直接用逗號分隔開。常用的連接詞有that， or， or other， say， that is to say， namely， similarly等。

【考例1】In fact， only about 80 ocelots， an endangered wild cat， exist in the US today.

解析：由同位語an endangered wild cat可知ocelot是一種瀕危的野貓。

【考例2】The new tax law supersedes ， or replaces ， the law that was in effect last year.

解析：由同位語or replaces可知supersedes意為“代替”。

4. 通過轉(zhuǎn)折、對比、選擇關(guān)系猜測詞義。

如果一個句子或段落中有對兩個事物或現(xiàn)象進行對比或選擇的描述，可以根據(jù)它的反義詞或可選擇的另一方面來猜測生詞的意義，表示轉(zhuǎn)折關(guān)系的詞有：but， however， otherwise， though等。表示對比關(guān)系的詞有：while， like， unlike， in contrast， rather than， on the other hand等。表示選擇關(guān)系的詞有： or， either...or...， not...but...等。

【考例1】Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop， but rather a destination.（2014年北京卷，D篇）

解析：根據(jù)much more than和but rather可知a destination與a shop（一般的商店）是一種對比，而且遠勝過a shop， 應(yīng)該是顧客很喜歡去的地方。

【考例2】The Lucy on exhibition at the Ethiopian National Museum in the capital， Addis Ababa， is a replica while the real remains are usually locked in a secret storeroom.（2012年全國卷II，D篇）

解析：while表示前后兩部分是對比關(guān)系，the real remains是“真正的遺跡”，所以可推測出畫線詞的意思是“仿制品，復(fù)制品”。

【考例3】Building owners were faced with a choice： either change the first floors of their buildings into basements， and the second stories into main floors， or hoist the entire buildings to meet the new street level.（2015年湖南卷，B篇）

解析：either...or...表示兩種對比選擇，第一種選擇是“change the first floors of their buildings into basements， and the second stories into main floors”，那么第二種選擇就應(yīng)該是使整棟樓上升，因此hoist的意思應(yīng)該是“ （lift） 提升，使上升”。

5.通過因果關(guān)系猜測詞義。

根據(jù)句子間的因果關(guān)系來推斷某個生詞或短語的意思，可由表原因的句義推測出表結(jié)果的句子中的某個生詞或短語的意思，即由因推果；也可由表示結(jié)果的句義推測出表原因的句子中的某個生詞或短語的意思，即由果推因。表示因果關(guān)系的詞有：because， since， as， for， so， therefore， as a result， thus， so that， so/such ... that ... 等。

【考例1】One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette， but youll need a warm， sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it， so its a pipe dream for most apple lovers who fall for it.（2016年全國卷III，C篇）

解析：根據(jù)文中的句子“but youll need a warm， sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it”和so可知，對于大多數(shù)迷戀這種蘋果的人來說，perfect soil 是基本不存在的，因此只是a pipe dream，相當(dāng)于a vain hope（徒勞的希望，枉然）。

【考例2】The set worked so beautifully when I first got it home that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night. （2015年全國卷II，A篇）

解析：根據(jù)so beautifully可以推測出結(jié)果狀語從句“that I would keep it on until stations signed off for the night”的意思是“我一直讓電視開著直到電視臺停臺”，故畫線短語的意思應(yīng)該是“停播，停臺”。

【考例3】Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots， or young leaves.

解析：根據(jù)原因狀語從句“because it encourages the growth of tender shoots， or young leaves”可知，Pruning能促進嫩芽或嫩葉的生長，可判斷出Pruning有“剪枝，修剪”的意思。

6. 通過定語從句、狀語從句等從句的功能，結(jié)合生活常識來猜測詞義。

根據(jù)從句的功能和意義可推知主句中某個生詞的意義，或者結(jié)合主句的意義和從句功能來推測從句中某個生詞的意義。

【考例1】These local citizens now have to balance their traditional self-supporting hunting lifestyle with the lifestyle offered by the modern French Republic， which brings with it not only necessary state welfare， but also alcoholism， betrayal and even suicide. （2016年四川卷，C篇）

解析：which引導(dǎo)的非限制性定語從句補充說明的是the modern French Republic，文中提到the modern French Republic給這些當(dāng)?shù)厝颂峁┝爽F(xiàn)代的生活方式。故it指代的是the modern French lifestyle。

【考例2】 It didnt look that bad， and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell， it didnt offend the nose so much， either. （2015年四川卷，B篇）

解析：由“after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell”可知，我的鼻子已基本沒有聞的能力，所以它（燉湯） 再也不會使鼻子難受了，offend意為 “使難受（upset）”。

【考例3】And for chocolate snobs，who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others， the Connoisseur Series uses cocoa Beans from Togo， Cuba， Venezuela ， and Ghana， among others.（2013年全國卷II，C篇）

解析：根據(jù)畫線詞后面的非限制性定語從句“who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others”所作的補充，可猜出chocolate snobs指的是對巧克力很講究的人（the people who are particular about chocolate）。

7. 利用所舉例子來猜測詞義。

有時考生可以用上下文所舉的例子，運用具體到一般的歸納法來悟出某個單詞或詞組的含義。用來舉例的常見詞有：for example， for instance， such， such as， like， as， as...as等。

【考例】With the communication gadgets， such as mobile phones and ipads， people often do not take the effort to visit one another personally.（2014年江西卷，D篇）

解析：such as后列舉的手機和ipad都是電子產(chǎn)品，所以可推測gadgets有“電子產(chǎn)品”之意。

8. 通過代詞所指代內(nèi)容猜測詞義。

【考例1】 “My friends said：‘Now we believe your stories，” Welty added. “And I said：‘Now you know. These are the people that make me write them.”（2016年全國卷III，B篇）

解析：根據(jù)文章中的your stories，我們可知Welty寫了一些stories，所以write them就是write stories。

【考例2】The familys old farm house has become a chicken house， its residents arriving next month.

解析：its 指代 “雞屋的”， 雞屋里面住的當(dāng)然是雞，故residents指的就是雞。

9 . 通過構(gòu)詞法猜測詞義。

在閱讀中往往會遇到合成的或派生的生詞，有時雖然從上下文線索很難猜出詞義，但如果利用詞綴知識加以分析，也不難捕捉這些詞的詞義。

【考例】My father visited an O.Henry expert at Columbia University in New York ， who authenticated the story as O.Henrys. （2014年陜西卷，B篇）

解析：畫線詞是authentic（真實的，真正的） 的派生詞，根據(jù)句子結(jié)構(gòu)可知畫線詞為動詞，其意思為“驗證，證明……為真”。

10. 熟詞一定要推測其隱含意義。

考題中若是需要推測詞義的是熟詞，我們必須推測它在特定場合下的特殊意思，那些常規(guī)含義的選項一般不會是正確答案。字面意義也不會是正確答案，考查的往往是隱含意義。

【考例】When I was 12， all I wanted was a signet（圖章） ring . They were the “in” thing and it seemed every girl except me had one. On my 13th birthday， my mom gave me a signet ring with my initials carved into it. I was in heaven. （2013年福建卷）

解析：in是大家都很熟悉的詞，應(yīng)該不是考察它的表面意思，and后的并列句告訴我們除了我之外每個女孩都有一個，所以in應(yīng)該表示“時尚的，受歡迎的”之類意思。

四、強化訓(xùn)練

猜測句中畫線部分的含義，并思考猜詞技巧。

1. Green loves to talk and his brothers are similarly loquacious.

2. Most of the roses are beginning to wither because of the cold.

3. She is usually prompt for all her class， but today she arrived in the middle of her first class.

4. In the past the world seemed to run in an orderly way. Now， however， everything seems to be in a state of turmoil.

5. Rubber can be made to stretch more than nine times its normal length because it is very elastic.

6. When he reached the place with his army， he found an impassable river in front of him.

7. Some armed policemen have to wear bullet-proof vests， a piece of clothing that can protect their chests and that are used to stop bullets or a vest which cannot be passed through by bullets.

8. Today young couples often spend lots of their money on appliances， for instance， washing-machines， refrigerators and color televisions.

9. Since I could not afford to purchase the original painting， I bought a replica. An inexperienced eye couldnt tell the difference.

10.You can take any of the periodicals： Time Magazine， Newsweek， Readers Digest， etc.

11. Time is something from which we cant escape. Even if we ignore it， its still going by， ticking away， second by second， minute by minute， hour by hour. So the main issue in using your time well is， “Whos in charge？” We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy. Or we can take control of it and make it our ally.

A. Your slave and serves you.

B. Your supporter and helps you.

C. Under your control and obeys you.

D. Under your influence and follows you.

（參考答案見第80頁）